De:construct
Exhibition at Green Hill Gallery
April 26th - July 12th 2024
Migration and Integration are deeply complex issues, laden with history and emotions, often misunderstood and polarizing. At Kulturschöpfer, we recognize the importance of addressing these challenges.
Migration, as defined by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), affects a significant portion of the world's population, with profound economic and social impacts on both migrants and host societies. Integration, a vital process, involves mutual adaptation and acceptance, binding migrants and local residents to a common purpose.
Our approach at Kulturschöpfer is people-centric, acknowledging migrants and refugees as integral members of our community, deserving equal treatment and recognition of their identities, traditions, skills, and stories. Through this exhibition we explore key questions such as self-worth, visibility, belonging, and identity, encouraging both migrants and locals to introspect.
We begin by deconstructing the complexities surrounding migration and integration, unravelling layers of prejudice, bias, and misconception. This process enables a deeper understanding of the challenges faced from all angles. Once these social and structural constructs have been disassembled, the focus will be on the person. Recontructing, reimagining and reclaiming the narrative surrounding migration and integration, aiming for a more inclusive and empathetic discourse. During this process, we acknowledge the complexity of language surrounding migration and integration, inviting artists to deconstruct and reclaim terms for constructive use.
The setting of this project, of this goal is Berlin: a diverse and dynamic city with a rich migrant population. Where we want to highlight the importance of timely and nuanced engagement with these issues.
By trying to create a more inclusive and open dialogue on the topic of migration, we want everyone to be led to reflect on the social structures that are present around this topic. Through our organization’s ethos, we aim to utilize art as the primary medium for this endeavor. Art serves as a mode of personal expression and communication, paving the way for a more inclusive and compassionate society. To facilitate this transformation, we've curated a set of guiding questions to ignite the dialogue:
Deconstruct the terms migration and integration.
Does art play a role when addressing the process of integration and dialogue? To what extent can artistic expressions help to build conversations between groups and facilitate encounters between people with different backgrounds living in the same city or neighborhood?
What are your thoughts on terminology that is used in regard to this topic (such as expat, migration, immigrant, integration, …)? How has language affected you personally? What could be a better language that could be used instead?
In what way do you see integration not happening in communities? How have you felt not integrated either as a local with the migrant community or a migrant with the local community?
What obstacles hinder either migrants or locals from feeling a sense of belonging in these changing communities?
Where do you see a lack of awareness in regard to this topic?
How are cultural identities not being taken into consideration in regard to integration for either the local or the migrant?
How does your personal story connect to this topic?
What prejudices and stereotypes have hindered either migrants or locals from feeling seen or feeling that they are enough?
Artists:
Steffen Blunk
Tatiana Bulanova
Seweryn Jański
Olga Mos
Igor Ponosov
Joanna Rusinek
Raimund Schucht
Foteini Tatsi
Jingwen Yao
Julia Werhahn
This exhibition was created thanks to the help and work of Kulturshopfer team and its volunteers: Christopher Elmerick, Jan Pablo Arce Lemke, Elizabeth Lancaster, Emilia Caprazli, Grace Elmerick, Matilde Dani, Cat Hudgens, Leigh Flores, Cat Hudgens, Levanah Ducret.
